Palestine: 197 Palestinians kidnapped by Israeli soldiers in West Bank”

Palestine: 197 Palestinians kidnapped by Israeli soldiers in West Bank”

18th Jun 2014

By Saed Bannoura

IMEMC News: Tuesday, Israeli soldiers have kidnapped 197 Palestinians and invaded more than 791 homes, in different parts of the West Bank, since three settlers went missing last Thursday night, the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights has reported.

During a press conference at the Ahrar office in Ramallah, Ahrar Center head Fuad al-Khuffash stated that, on the first day of the Israeli campaign against the occupied West Bank, the army kidnapped 16 Palestinians, including two women who were released later on.

The second day of the invasion led to the kidnapping of 110 Palestinians, including five legislators, two government ministers and two university teachers.

The army also kidnapped 44 Palestinians on the third day of the invasions, including the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Abdul-Aziz Dweik, from Hebron.

Soldiers also kidnapped a legislator on the same day. The fourth day of the invasion led to the kidnapping of 27 Palestinians.

Al-Khuffash said the 197 kidnapped Palestinians, including women, children, seven legislators and two ministers, are all former political prisoners, and that the number is based documented arrests of detainees who were moved to different prisons and detention centers.

In Hebron, the soldiers kidnapped 101 Palestinians and invaded 570 homes, in Nablus 27 Palestinians were kidnapped and 45 homes invaded, in Ramallah 16 persons were kidnapped and 104 homes were invaded, and one Palestinian was shot and killed by the army.

Sixteen Palestinians were kidnapped in Jenin and 30 homes invaded; eight were kidnaped in Tulkarem and 14 homes were invaded; 9 Palestinians were kidnapped in Bethlehem and 19 homes were invaded; six were kidnapped in Tubas, seven in Qalqilia, four in Jerusalem, and three in Salfit.

In total, the soldiers have, so far, invaded and violently searched more than 791 Palestinian homes, causing excessive property damage.

Most of the kidnapped Palestinians are Hamas supporters, in addition to two Islamic Jihad members and six members of the Fateh movement who were kidnapped on Monday night in the Balata refugee camp, in Nablus, al-Khuffash said.

He stated that the soldiers focused their arrests and home invasions in the Hebron district, invading more than 140 Palestinian homes and violently searching them, causing excessive property damage.

The Hebron invasions mainly targeted Hebron City, the towns of Doura and Surif, and various nearby communities.

In Ramallah, soldiers invaded at least 74 homes and ransacked them before kidnapping several Palestinians, including the head of the al-Aqsa Satellite TV Station, Aziz Kayed, and many other Palestinians.

Soldiers also continued the invasion of the Jenin district, imposing a curfew on the Jenin refugee camp and forcing Palestinians under house arrest, before kidnapping several others.

They also invaded Azzoun town, kidnapped several Palestinians, and held the father of a “wanted” Palestinian hostage in an attempt to force his son to surrender.

Massive invasions were also carried out in Nablus city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, and the Balata refugee camp. The soldiers also broke into and ransacked dozens of homes and threatened several residents to force them into exile, or to kidnap them, Ahrar said.

Al-Khuffash said that ten of the newly kidnapped Palestinians received arbitrary Administrative Detention orders, holding them for different periods without charges or trial.

He called on International institutions and human rights groups to stop the escalating Israeli military violations, and to oblige Israel to stop the use of its illegitimate Administrative Detention policies.

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